4 ms·
Most delivery trucks (like a box truck) have capacities more like 10 or 20 tons. A heavy freight truck, like used to load ships? Even more.
by lazide 7mo ago
Most delivery trucks (like a box truck) have capacities more like 10 or 20 tons. A heavy freight truck, like used to load ships? Even more.
- _heimdall 7mo agoWas that the case in the 60s as well? I know trucks of that era had much lower capacity than today, even when comparing across class like "half-ton" trucks.
- vel0city 7mo agoThe Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 set the gross vehicle weight limit for trucks at 73,280lbs. I imagine trucks of the day probably at least came close to that limit? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_trucking_industry_in_the_United_States https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_the_trucking_indust...
- _heimdall 7mo agoThat was likely targeting tractor trailers of the era though, not box trucks.
- bigfishrunning 7mo agoA half-ton truck is a consumer pick-up truck, not a commercial shipping vehicle. Much much smaller.
- _heimdall 7mo agoYes I understand, that's why I was asking about box trucks of the day. I'll dig into it myself as I am curious now, I've only ever really looked into cab-over bread trucks from that era and those aren't a great comparison either. I was just curious if the GP already knew what 60s era box trucks would have been rated for.
- rdtsc 7mo agoYup that's what I had in mind, a 60s city delivery truck, not a semi, so googled that and came up to about 10t.
- jjk166 7mo agoThe gold would be moved by cash-in-transit trucks which have relatively modest payload capacities of 5000-9000lbs today, a bit less in the 60s. 3 tons per truck is probably on the high end.
- therealpygon 7mo agoYou don’t generally just throw gold in a box truck… it typically moves by armored freight.
- oasisbob 7mo agoMaybe in some volumes, but I think most people would be shocked by the overall volume of gold that moves by UPS in small brown boxes.
- bruckie 7mo agoThe Hope diamond was famously transported by... USPS. "The postage cost him $2.44, plus $142.85 for $1 million worth of insurance." —https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/hope-diamond.pdf https://about.usps.com/who-we-are/postal-history/hope-diamon...